I realize Mother’s Day is behind us, but I want to send a shout out to a mom who I see on a daily basis, but is not related to me, or is even human. No, she is a mom who I’ve never talked to, or have even made eye contact with. This mom is a goose, and she sits atop a nest on a small island in the middle of a pond along the Onondaga Lake Parkway. Perhaps you’ve seen her, in all sorts of conditions, as you head towards the city on the parkway, just after you go beneath the railroad bridge. If you were to quickly and safely glance to your right, you would see an island, a nest, and a goose perched on top.

Except today. Today this proud momma was up and moving in front of a new group of goslings, slowly swimming around with the group following behind.

This made me think about how motherhood is both nature and nurture, some of it ingrained, some of it figuring it out as you go along. There is maternal instinct of course, but this goose, to me at least, was a prime example to the great lengths a mother will go for her children. Whether it’s your mom, or this goose, who had a difficult job before, but can’t even imagine what she’s up against now.